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SJ X2
The X2 is a Swedish high-speed tilting electric multiple unit that is operated by Swedish railroad operator SJ under the X 2000 brand name. History The X2s were developed as Sweden's first high-speed train as a means of sorts to compete with the up-and-coming high-speed trains and their respective services in other European countries, where trains began to run at 200 km/h (124 mph) on existing tracks; various trains the X2s were intended to compete against were Germany's ICE and France's TGV. However, Sweden's railways were known to be very curvy, and these high-speed trains would not be able to keep their speeds up due to the curves; as such, the locomotives were developed to be tilting trains from the start. The locomotives were built using the latest Swedish technology, where new welding technology was used in the construction of the cars and a newer type of cross-section; the result was a rather rigid car with good crash and corrosion protection. The first prototype was built in August 1986, with the trains entering service in September 1990; production of the X2s stopped in August 1998. The sets currently ply the X 2000 and Linx services and are used in six- or seven-car formations depending on the situation. The locomotives are currently a mainstay of the SJ fleet and are the most common sight on Swedish main lines. Set X 2016 reached a speed of 276 km/h (171 mph) on 21 July 1993; this was a Swedish rail speed record until it was broken by the SJ Gröna tåget Bombardier Regina prototype in August 2008. Export sets During the 1990s, a variety of railways showed interest in the X2s, with ABB and SJ providing the railways with samples for trials. Notable railways that showed interest included Amtrak, DB, NSB, CountryLink and the China Railways. Amtrak had one set leased from SJ that was tested from October 1992 to January 1993; the locomotive was used on revenue service from February to May 1992, and then was taken around the 48 continental states from May to July on a tour, making demonstration stops along the way. The set reentered service in August and September 1993, after which it was returned to SJ. Australia's CountryLink also purchased an X2 set for evaluation purposes; the three-car set was hauled in a push-pull formation by XPT locomotives. After conducting a statewide tour in New South Wales in March 1995, the set was put into revenue service from April 1995 to June 1995, after which it was returned to SJ. An seven-car X2000 set was delivered to the Guangshen Railway Company in 1998 for use on the Guangzhou-Kowloon Through Train until 2007 when it was replaced by a CRH1 set. The set, numbered 2044 (renumbered 2088 due to numbering overlaps in China) and named Xinshisu (New Speed), was delivered to Sichuan Province in August 2007 after its retirement and was damaged in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; however, the Chengdu Railway Bureau needed to rebuild the railway networks in Sichuan Province, but could not carry the costs for maintenance of the damaged set. As a result, the set was sold back to the Guangshen Railway Company in December 2008. The set was rebought by SJ in 2012 and shipped back to Sweden and exhibited in the Swedish Railway Museum; however, the powered car and trailer cab were deemed to be so badly damaged that they had to be scrapped after their exhibition. The remaining five cars were repaired and put back into service in SJ. Specifications The bodies of the sets are constructed of a corrugated stainless steel. The trains' traction motors are controlled by some sort of gate turn-off thyristor variable frequency drive. The cars are 120 in (3,050 mm) wide and 150 in (3,814 mm) high. The intermediate cars are 961 in (24,400 mm) long, while end cars are slightly shorter at 699 in (17,750 mm) in length. The pantograph carries 15 kV AC power at 16.7 Hz or 25 kV AC power at 50 Hz. Top speed is 200 mph (124 km/h). The sets use a tilting system developed by ABB controlled by a computer that allows them to tilt up to 6.5 degrees around curves. As the power cars themselves are unable to carry any passengers, they are supposed to be classified as electric locomotives, despite it being designated as an electric multiple unit by SJ. The sets themselves are designed for high-speed intercity transport with few stops. Trivia *''X 2000'' is not the actual name for the actual locomotives, although it is the trademark name for the X2s as displayed on the Bombardier website. *Each six-car set cost NOK 152m/USD 25m (in 2018 currency) to build; this makes each car cost about NOK 25m/USD 3.92m (in 2018 currency) to produce. *The X2s are advertised as "Sweden's most popular train" on the SJ website. Gallery *Gallery References *Wikipedia.org Category:ASEA locomotives Category:Kalmar Verkstad locomotives Category:Electric Trainsets Category:Tilting trainsets Category:China Railways locomotives Category:Amtrak locomotives